After taking part in the Battle of France early in 1940, 85 Squadron moved to Croydon on the 19th August, where, led by renowned squadron leader Peter Townsend DSO DFC, the squadron played a notable part in the Battle of Britain. Thirty Hurricane squadrons participated in the Battle of Britain compared to only eighteen Spitfire squadrons, claiming 80 percent of the RAF victories. Sir Sidney Camms innovative design ensured the Hurricane became a classic fighter. Hurricane Patrol portrays Squadron Leader Peter Townsend leading 85 Squadron on a high altitude sortie during the long hot summer of 1940.

The Hawker Hurricane powered by the powerful Rolls Royce Merlin engine is shown in combat with Luftwaffe aircraft during the Battle of Britain. The Hurricane played a major role in the aerial victory along with its companion the Spitfire.

Hawker Hurricane IIc of top Czech ace Flt. Lt. K.M. Kuttlewascher, No.1 Fighter Squadron on a night intruder sortie from RAF Tangmere. On this mission he destroyed three Heinkel IIIs over their own airfield, St. Andre, in occupied France.

A scene played out daily by Fighter Command squadrons throughout the defining air battles fought in the summer of 1940. Mk I Hurricanes of 249 Squadron are seen returning to North Weald after heavy action over London during the culmination of the Battle of Britain in September of that year. It is evening, and the squadron has been operational since first light. Most of the pilots have flown four missions on this day, and they will be in the air again tomorrow at dawn. And so it will go till the battle is won. In this quite beautiful painting, Simon Atack shows Tom Neils Hurricane in the foreground. He has suffered battle damage but, as so often with the trusty Hurricane, his steed will carry him safely home to fight again.

Cunard liner RMS Lusitania leaves New York outward bound for Liverpool just before the First World War. Sadly on 7th May 1915 she was torpedoed by the German submarine U-20 and sank within 20 minutes with the loss of 1,198 lives.

Volume Six book catalogue shows 215 military, naval and aviation art prints, with a majority of these prints being of World War II naval and aviation and tank prints and an excellent selection of 19th century maritime editions with some American Civil War and Prussian Napoleonic and Franco-Prussian war prints by 19th Century military artists and modern artists Chris Collingwood, David Pentland, Randall Wilson, Anthony Saunders and Montague Dawson.

Volume Seven book catalogue shows over 200 images and full print listing by artist. Mainly consisting of aviation, naval, and modern military after 1940 and a selection of fifty historical prints of earlier periods by leading artists Chris Collingwood, David Pentland, Ivan Berryman, Randall Wilson, Graeme Lothian, Anthony Saunders and Mark Churms.

Volume Eight book catalogue shows over 140 images. Mainly consisting of aviation, naval, and modern military after 1940 including Falkands, Bosnia and Kosovo and a selection of forty historical prints of earlier periods by leading artists Tom Lovell, Chris Collingwood, David Pentland, Ivan Berryman, David Rowlands, Graeme Lothian, Anthony Saunders and Barry Price.

Full colour book catalogue.

Size 12 inches x 9 inches approx.

Website Price: £ 360.00

To purchase these prints individually at their normal retail price would cost £806.00 . By buying them together in this special pack, you save £446

All prices are displayed in British Pounds Sterling

Signatures on item 7

*The value given for each signature has been calculated by us based on the historical significance and rarity of the signature. Values of many pilot signatures have risen in recent years and will likely continue to rise as they become more and more rare.

Squadron Leader Douglas G Clift was born in 1919 and joined the RAF in January 1939. Douglas Clift arrived at 11 Group Pool, St Athan on 24 October 1939 and after converting to Hurricanes, he joined 79 Squadron at Biggin Hill on November 17. On 15 August 1940 Clift claimed a Bf 110 destroyed and on 30 August he shared in the destruction of a He 111. In July 1941 he was posted to the Central Flying School at Upavon for an instructor's course. Clift later volunteered for the Merchant Ship Fighter Unit (MSFU) and served with it until October 1942. He remained on flying duties for the rest of the war, finishing up in South-East Asia with the Royal Indian Air Force (RIAF). After the war Clift served with 34 Squadron flying photo-reconnaissance Spitfires until its disbandment in August 1947. later he became a radar specialist, sadly Squadron Leader Douglas G Clift passed away on the 31st December 2008 aged 89.

Tom Neil was born on 14th July 1920 in Bootle, Lancashire. Tom Neil (also to become known in the RAF as 'Ginger') joined the RAFVR in October 1938 and began his flying training at 17 E and RFTS, Barton, Manchester. Tom Neil was called up on the 2nd os September 1939 being sent to 4 ITW, Bexhill in early November. On 1st December 1939, he was posted to 8 FTS and on completion of the course he was commissioned and posted to 249 Squadron in May 1940 flying Hurricanes just before the start of the Battle of Britain flying from North Weald. On 7th September 1940, Tom Neil encountered and claimed a Bf109 destroyed. On the 11th an He111, on the 15th two Bf109s and a Do17 destroyed and another Do17 shared, on the 18th an He111 damaged and on the 27th a Bf110 and a Ju88 destroyed, a Bf110 probably destroyed and a Ju88 shared. On 6th October Tom Neil shared a Do17, on the 25th claimed a Bf109 destroyed, on the 27th a Do17 probably destroyed, on the 28th a Ju88 shared and on 7th November a Ju87 and two Bf109s destroyed. He was awarded a DFC on 8 October, but on 7 November, after claiming 3 victories over the North Sea off the Essex coast, he collided in mid-air with Wing Commander Francis Beamish and his aircraft lost its tail. He baled out of his Hurricane unhurt, Beamish force-landing unscathed. Tom received a Bar to his DFC on 26 November, and on 13 December was promoted flight Commander. The squadron was posted to Malta in May 1941, flying off HMS Ark Royal on the 21st. During a summer of frequent scrambles, he claimed one further victory in June, while on 7th October he led a fighter-bomber attack on Gela station, Sicily. He departed the island in December 1941, returning to the UK via the Middle East, South and West Africa, and Canada, finally arriving in March 1942, when he became tactics officer with 81 Group. A spell as an instructor at 56 OTU, before being posted as a flying liaison officer with the 100th Fighter Wing of the US 9th Air Force in January 1944. He managed to get some flying in over France with this unit, claiming a share in 6 aircraft destroyed on the ground before D-Day, and a dozen or so more later, plus a number of other ground targets. In January 1945 he was sent to the school of Land/Air Warfare as an instructor. In March 1945 he was posted out to Burma, where he undertook some operations with 1 Wing, Indian Air Force, to gain experience of the operations in this area. Returning to the UK in April, he resumed instructing at the school until the end of the year. In January 1946 he attended the Empire Test Pilots School, undertaking No.4 short course and No.5 course, a total of 18 months. Posted briefly to Farnborough, he sought a move to Boscombe Down, where he stayed for some 3 years. In 1948 in went to Wright-Patterson AFB, Dayton, Ohio, to take part in the first high altitude pressure suit experiments, as a precursor to the aerospace programme. 1950-51 he was a staff officer at HQ, Fighter Command, while in 1952 he attended the staff college at Bracknell. He was then given command of 208 Squadron in Egypt, which he led until 1956, leaving just before the Suez operation. He returned to the UK to become W/Cdr Operations, Metropolitan sector, until 1958, when he attended the flying college at Manby. He went to the British Embassy in Washington for 3 years from 1959, returning to the Ministry of Defence but retiring from the service as a Wing Commander in 1964. Meanwhile he had added the US Bronze Star to his decorations in august 1947, and an AFC in January 1956.